I really enjoyed High Plains Drifter. I have seen Django The Bastard advertised on various websites and was tempted to pick it up, oh well.

I think perhaps the comparison with High Plains Drifter has been over emphasised.Django may have quite literally come back from the dead to knock of some traiterous army officers responsible for a massacre,which storyline wise is different from the Clint film where it is the brother(according to the Italian version) of the man whipped to death who punishes the town of Lago for their crimes.In HPD the stranger kills 3 men in the barbers shop and takes the whole community(who don't know who he is or what his motives are)on one big wild ride before killing of the rest of the villains towards the end of the movie.This plays out quite differently in Django the Bastard where he is picking off his enemies(who know who he is even though they think he's dead) from the start and throughout the whole film.Like Django Kill which is a so bad its good type of film for me,Django the Bastard though highly regarded in some quarters,divides a lot of opinions and personally i'd recommend this to you Leone_Admirer because it is so unique and i feel that the wooden performance of the lead character really works in this movie.

Its never been all that clear in the English version although the movie does end with the midget laying flowers at the grave of the deceased Marshall Jim Duncan.However in the Italian version(i got this info from Hughes latest SW book) the dubbing makes it clear the the stranger is Duncans brother.

Because there were some issues concerning spoilage on other threads involving The Strangers Gundown (akaDjango the Bastard), I figured it would be best to relocate heavy discussion of the film to a thread operating under a warning sign. Never let it be said that I don't defend the a moviegoer's chance to see a film untainted!

I've been thinking about the movie some more since reviewing it, and wanted to share some of my ruminations with you folks. You see, I came in thinking that I was watching a sort of proto-Crow, with a resurrected avenger visiting justice on those responsible for his killing. But that's the problem with spoilers: they can twist one's perception of a film, sometimes wrongly.

Sure, the movie starts off pushing the gun-toting ghost-man angle, but things change dramatically when Luke manages to wound Django. At that point, Django's whole demeanor changes. He's still not as animated as he was during the flashback, but he no longer has that mannequin stillness from the first hour of the picture. It seems to me that Django was sort of putting on that dead-man air, but he was still alive inside, as it were.

I've also been wondering about Alethea. There's clearly more happening with her than the film takes time to explicate. As my wife pointed out/complained, at times Alethea looks like she can't wait to grab some cash and bug out, while at others she seems fairly content to stay. What's going on in that woman's head? Outside of Django, she may very well be the film's most complicated character.

Much is said at the IMDB reviews over the horror streak which passes through the movie. And I must admit that, in consideration of the more sleek way horror effects are aimed at here, this is surely more original than And God Said to Cain. But though that may make it interesting, for those who care about horror, certainly isn't enough to make it a good movie. It is slow-paced with the usual clichés not redeemed by a touch of originality; and the trick of the cross with the name on or Steffen's imperturbable expression (which is anyway better than the animated one he displays during the flash-back) are one time effects that soon wear out and produce the effect of irritating the (this) watcher rather than reinvigorating the plot which is the usual revenge story (the flash-back is one of the few interesting moments: I liked the way the confederate camp was set). Though many at IMDB have the impression that this is a small-budgeted movie, I must say that I didn't have that impression: most of these people don't know what a Fidani's western is. But as to means it doesn't compare bad with High Plains Drifter.A word for Luciano Rossi's performance, the only remarkable one in the movie. It has been praised and with good reason. Let's also add that he was simply playing himself. About the music, well, I don't want Firecracker or Banjo to jump on me, so I'll abstain from comment.

About the music, well, I don't want Firecracker or Banjo to jump on me, so I'll abstain from comment.

Hey never mind me!!I haven't watched it in a while but i think its suitably creepy and enhances the atmosphere quite adequately enough though admittedly the accompaniment sounds very basic like in places like the single held chord on Hammond organ for some scenes.BTW i think this movie is excellent.

Gundown featured Django (Anthony Steffen though, not Nero) returning from the "dead" to take revenge on the guys that left him for dead. Not terribly original in concept, but there were some unique elements. For example, the camera techniques emphasized the supernatural elements of the story as well as the cool use of theramin in the score! Also cool was the way Django announced the soon-to-be deaths of his victims. I''ve heard complaints on Steffens "wooden" acting, but, he is supposed to be dead...or is he? Pretty cool. I''d give it a 6.5 of 10.

DJANGO THE BASTARD- 1973-Terrible Anthony Steffen vehicle in which he plays a gunslinger from beyond the grave who avenges himself on the traitorous soldiers who put him there. Some striking moments such as Steffen heralding his arrival with crosses adorned with his victims names carved on them. The final scene is quite spooky. Directed by Sergio Garrone who would later try his hand at the short lived Naziploitation genre that enjoyed a brief run in Italy after the popularity of the ILSA films.

I seem to be somewhere in the middle: it's far from a great SW but it also isn't as nearly as bad as some would say. As someone mentioned before: it's a decent revenge story with a couple of good twists every now and then, with a creepy atmosphere and the proverbial SW filthiness - enough to keep me glued to my seat till the end. Woody Steff is his usual self here - but works like a charm! I too like the infiltration of the spooky elements, though they don't really do anything with them, which is a shame. How much money are you willing to give for it is one thing, but if you're a SW fan the chances this no-brainer will dispose easily of that hour and a half you're willing to concede it - are rather high.

6.5/10

« Last Edit: August 07, 2010, 11:40:31 AM by Dust Devil »

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